Blue Sun Palace was one of the prize winners at the recently concluded Cannes Film Festival, where it took the French Touch Award for the Critics’ Week selections. “French Touch” is an apt name for an award to a film where “touch” is key in several scenes depicted in the massage parlor setting where much of the movie takes place.
The feature debut of Chinese American writer-director Constance Tsang focuses on three main characters. All are immigrants to New York, specifically Flushing in Queens. where Didi (Haipeng Xu) and Amy (Ke-xi Wu) operate the Blue Sun Palace, a massage parlor/nail shop where the front door clearly notes “No Sexual Services” at this establishment. Filmed almost entirely in the Mandarin language, we see the everyday moments of their work life as well as personal, including...
The feature debut of Chinese American writer-director Constance Tsang focuses on three main characters. All are immigrants to New York, specifically Flushing in Queens. where Didi (Haipeng Xu) and Amy (Ke-xi Wu) operate the Blue Sun Palace, a massage parlor/nail shop where the front door clearly notes “No Sexual Services” at this establishment. Filmed almost entirely in the Mandarin language, we see the everyday moments of their work life as well as personal, including...
- 5/28/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The intimate and naturalistic Mandarin-language drama “Blue Sun Palace” has nabbed the French Touch prize from the Cannes Critics’ Week jury, putting Chinese-American writer-director Constance Tsang on the map as a talent to watch after her feature debut. Certain to see future festival action, the drama about three working-class Chinese immigrants in Flushing, NY, the film succeeds with touching performances from Ke-Xi Wu (“Nina Wu”), Lee Kang Sheng (Tsai Ming Liang’s iconic actor) and Haixpeng Xu (“Where Echoes Never End”) that could tempt distributors in the coming months.
Although the borough of Queens is pone of the most diverse places on the planet, the insular world of “Blue Sun Palace” is almost solely Chinese, unfolding in New York’s largest Chinatown. Taiwanese Amy (Ke-Xi Wu) and mainlander Didi (Haixpeng Xu) work along with two other women in a massage parlor with an exclusively male clientele. The sign on the door stipulates “No Sexual Services,...
Although the borough of Queens is pone of the most diverse places on the planet, the insular world of “Blue Sun Palace” is almost solely Chinese, unfolding in New York’s largest Chinatown. Taiwanese Amy (Ke-Xi Wu) and mainlander Didi (Haixpeng Xu) work along with two other women in a massage parlor with an exclusively male clientele. The sign on the door stipulates “No Sexual Services,...
- 5/24/2024
- by Alissa Simon
- Variety Film + TV
It’s become something of a movie fashion to forestall the title credits until well after an establishing sequence, if not deeper into the film. But when the title appears onscreen in Blue Sun Palace, at the half-hour point, there’s nothing self-consciously stylish about it: It marks a dramatic, ground-shifting change in perspective, a gut-punch of a narrative fracture, and one that writer-director Constance Tsang executes with assurance.
At the helm of her first feature, Tsang has made a sharp and tender story about dislocation, centering on a trio of hardworking Chinese immigrants in New York. In the movie’s first 30 minutes, Tsang draws us into the intimate orbit of her expatriate characters: a construction company employee and two colleagues at a massage parlor. Then, the sudden absence of one of them sets everything askew. Absence is the current that drives the narrative: absence from family, from homeland, from purpose.
At the helm of her first feature, Tsang has made a sharp and tender story about dislocation, centering on a trio of hardworking Chinese immigrants in New York. In the movie’s first 30 minutes, Tsang draws us into the intimate orbit of her expatriate characters: a construction company employee and two colleagues at a massage parlor. Then, the sudden absence of one of them sets everything askew. Absence is the current that drives the narrative: absence from family, from homeland, from purpose.
- 5/19/2024
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Meredith Hama-Brown’s feature debut “Seagrass,” starring Ally Maki, will debut in U.S. theaters on Feb. 22, beginning with special screenings with the cast and director.
Q&a’s will be held at New York’s Roxy Cinema and Los Angeles’ Laemmle Royal on Feb. 22 and Las Vegas’ Regal Theatre on Feb. 23. Maki will be in Los Angeles, Hama-Brown and cinematographer Norm Li will be in New York, and actor Chris Pang will be in Las Vegas. The film will also have its U.S. festival premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, screening on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13.
The synopsis for “Seagrass” reads, “Set in the mid 1990’s, a Japanese Canadian woman (Maki) grappling with the recent death of her mother brings her family to a self-development retreat. When her distressed relationship with her husband begins to affect the children’s emotional security, the family is forever changed.”
In addition to Maki and Pang,...
Q&a’s will be held at New York’s Roxy Cinema and Los Angeles’ Laemmle Royal on Feb. 22 and Las Vegas’ Regal Theatre on Feb. 23. Maki will be in Los Angeles, Hama-Brown and cinematographer Norm Li will be in New York, and actor Chris Pang will be in Las Vegas. The film will also have its U.S. festival premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, screening on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13.
The synopsis for “Seagrass” reads, “Set in the mid 1990’s, a Japanese Canadian woman (Maki) grappling with the recent death of her mother brings her family to a self-development retreat. When her distressed relationship with her husband begins to affect the children’s emotional security, the family is forever changed.”
In addition to Maki and Pang,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
The town in which Renata (Carmen Madonia) and her family vacation in Luis De Filippis’ assured debut, Something You Said Last Night, is sleepy — quiet and inert. The cottages, spaced out enough to give the idea of privacy, sit near a lake that glistens during the day. Boats can be rented and sailed out to the water, there’s a pool somewhere in the resort and a number of places for a person to retreat from the world.
Renata, a millennial writer grappling with a recent layoff, does a lot of hiding in De Filippis’ film. Some of it is out of necessity — she’s a trans woman navigating an often cruel world — and other times it’s for respite. Her mother, Mona (Ramona Milano), is a well-meaning Italian matriarch whose attempts to help her daughter can feel suffocating. Renata ducks behind doors and absconds to the lake to vape and contemplate.
Renata, a millennial writer grappling with a recent layoff, does a lot of hiding in De Filippis’ film. Some of it is out of necessity — she’s a trans woman navigating an often cruel world — and other times it’s for respite. Her mother, Mona (Ramona Milano), is a well-meaning Italian matriarch whose attempts to help her daughter can feel suffocating. Renata ducks behind doors and absconds to the lake to vape and contemplate.
- 9/29/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
by Cláudio Alves
Down the Pacific coast, there’s a place that looks like heaven but is no safe haven. You reach it by boat, sailing over turquoise waves, the wind carrying hopes of healing and promises of solutions to problems that have none. First-time feature director Meredith Hama-Brown and cinematographer Norm Li capture the environment’s full spectrum of color in their new 1990s-set film Seagrass, rendering bleak material beautiful. Skin tones are sun-kissed, while the deepest shadows are cobalt blue. It’s like we’re seeing the shoreline through a painter’s eyes. We’re not.
Rather than the artist’s gaze, we experience a family’s troubled perspective. They’re two girls and their parents, bound to a couple’s retreat where they hope their marriage will find salvation…...
Down the Pacific coast, there’s a place that looks like heaven but is no safe haven. You reach it by boat, sailing over turquoise waves, the wind carrying hopes of healing and promises of solutions to problems that have none. First-time feature director Meredith Hama-Brown and cinematographer Norm Li capture the environment’s full spectrum of color in their new 1990s-set film Seagrass, rendering bleak material beautiful. Skin tones are sun-kissed, while the deepest shadows are cobalt blue. It’s like we’re seeing the shoreline through a painter’s eyes. We’re not.
Rather than the artist’s gaze, we experience a family’s troubled perspective. They’re two girls and their parents, bound to a couple’s retreat where they hope their marriage will find salvation…...
- 9/8/2023
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
Marking her third Dn appearance, Director Meredith Hama-Brown finds parallels between grief and otherworldly encounters in her latest music video for Loscil’s Sol. Hama-Brown reflects the rhythmic pulse of Loscil’s song with a combination of powerful, lucid 35mm cinematography and warm, retro-looking VFX as she weaves together the story of a woman (played by Mari Yamamoto) who in the wake of losing her partner has a mysterious alien encounter in her backyard. By combining these two profound and transformative experiences, she is able to draw an astute philosophical observation on what it means to face the mysteries of life. Dn caught up with Hama-Brown for the premiere of Sol and to talk over its creation, how she embraced light and lasers to construct a version of a UFO that hadn’t been seen on screen before, and the practicality of incorporating Wong Kar-Wai and Christopher Doyle’s signature visual effect.
- 2/7/2023
- by James Maitre
- Directors Notes
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton has boarded Oscar-qualifying live-action short “Same Old” as an executive producer.
Written and directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, “Same Old” tells the story of “a Chinese delivery driver in New York City who discovers his e-bike has been stolen, and must come to terms with the fragility of the life he’s built in America,” according to the logline.
Variety can reveal Choi and Cretton are also working on a feature-length adaptation of the film, which Choi will write and direct. Cretton’s production company Family Owned will produce the project, with Family Owned’s Ron Najor and Asher Goldstein overseeing it.
“Same Old,” which stars Limin Wang and Mingjie Li, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Palme d’Or competition and has also screened at TIFF, New York Film Festival and Raindance, where it won best short.
Written and directed by Lloyd Lee Choi, “Same Old” tells the story of “a Chinese delivery driver in New York City who discovers his e-bike has been stolen, and must come to terms with the fragility of the life he’s built in America,” according to the logline.
Variety can reveal Choi and Cretton are also working on a feature-length adaptation of the film, which Choi will write and direct. Cretton’s production company Family Owned will produce the project, with Family Owned’s Ron Najor and Asher Goldstein overseeing it.
“Same Old,” which stars Limin Wang and Mingjie Li, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Palme d’Or competition and has also screened at TIFF, New York Film Festival and Raindance, where it won best short.
- 12/13/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Members of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television voted to crown Sophie Deraspe’s “Antigone” as best film at the Canadian Screen Awards Thursday, presented virtually by broadcasters CBC and CTV.
The film, a contemporary spin on the Greek tragedy, also won awards for lead female actor for Nahéma Ricci, female actor in a supporting role for Nour Belkhiria, adapted screenplay for Deraspe, and editing for Geoffrey Boulangé and Deraspe.
Variety’s review of the film, which was named best Canadian feature at the Toronto Film Festival, said it “feels refreshingly liberated by the spirit of Sophocles’ original material.” The “impassioned” film was “electrified by a performance of immense self-possession and dignity from revelatory new star Nahéma Ricci,” the critic wrote.
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn won the prizes for directing and original screenplay for “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.” The film also took the cinematography award for Norm Li.
The film, a contemporary spin on the Greek tragedy, also won awards for lead female actor for Nahéma Ricci, female actor in a supporting role for Nour Belkhiria, adapted screenplay for Deraspe, and editing for Geoffrey Boulangé and Deraspe.
Variety’s review of the film, which was named best Canadian feature at the Toronto Film Festival, said it “feels refreshingly liberated by the spirit of Sophocles’ original material.” The “impassioned” film was “electrified by a performance of immense self-possession and dignity from revelatory new star Nahéma Ricci,” the critic wrote.
Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers and Kathleen Hepburn won the prizes for directing and original screenplay for “The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open.” The film also took the cinematography award for Norm Li.
- 5/29/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Antigone, Sophie Deraspe’s haunting French-language drama that set its adaptation of the Greek tragedy as a tale of a modern-day refugee family in Montreal, won Best Picture and tied François Girard’s The Song of Names with five wins overall Thursday at the Canadian Screen Awards, Canada’s equivalent to the Oscars.
Winners in the Cinematic Arts categories came tonight in a virtual ceremony held by The Canadian Academy, culminating three days of award handouts spanning film, TV, news, sports and documentaries.
Antigone won the Best Canadian Feature Film at last year’s Toronto Film Festival on its way to becoming Canada’s official submission in the 2020 International Feature Film race. Tonight, it also took best actress for star Nahéma Ricci, supporting actress for Nour Belkhiria, adapted screenplay for Deraspe, and Geoffrey Boulangé and Deraspe won for editing.
Song of Names, about an Englishman who searches for his childhood friend,...
Winners in the Cinematic Arts categories came tonight in a virtual ceremony held by The Canadian Academy, culminating three days of award handouts spanning film, TV, news, sports and documentaries.
Antigone won the Best Canadian Feature Film at last year’s Toronto Film Festival on its way to becoming Canada’s official submission in the 2020 International Feature Film race. Tonight, it also took best actress for star Nahéma Ricci, supporting actress for Nour Belkhiria, adapted screenplay for Deraspe, and Geoffrey Boulangé and Deraspe won for editing.
Song of Names, about an Englishman who searches for his childhood friend,...
- 5/29/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The American Film Institute (AFI) just announced the films that will play in the New Auteurs, Cinema’s Legacy, Midnight, Shorts and AFI Conservatory Showcase sections at AFI Fest 2019 presented by Audi, completing the festival’s program.
The complete AFI Fest program includes 142 titles of which 51% are directed by women. This year’s program represents 52 countries and includes eight official International Feature Film Oscar®submissions as well as four World Premieres.
See online film guide at http://fest.afi.com/.
This year, they have transitioned back to a paid ticket system. For more information about ticket prices, Film Passes and Priority Passes, visit http://fest.afi.com. As an Official Supporter of the festival, I have five (5) complementary tickets to each screening of this film. They are available to the first to ask me! Please note that a ticket does not guarantee seating; be seated at 15 minutes prior to start time to ensure a seat.
The complete AFI Fest program includes 142 titles of which 51% are directed by women. This year’s program represents 52 countries and includes eight official International Feature Film Oscar®submissions as well as four World Premieres.
See online film guide at http://fest.afi.com/.
This year, they have transitioned back to a paid ticket system. For more information about ticket prices, Film Passes and Priority Passes, visit http://fest.afi.com. As an Official Supporter of the festival, I have five (5) complementary tickets to each screening of this film. They are available to the first to ask me! Please note that a ticket does not guarantee seating; be seated at 15 minutes prior to start time to ensure a seat.
- 10/31/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
In today’s film news roundup, “Creed II” rounds out its cast, the African American Film Critics Association starts a screening series with American Cinematheque and Sundance award winner Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers begins shooting her first feature.
Castings
“Fences” star Russell Hornsby has joined Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone in MGM-Warner Bros.’ “Creed II,” which began shooting Monday in Philadelphia.
“Creed II” is the continuation of the Rocky franchise and the sequel to 2015’s “Creed,” which took in more than $170 million at the worldwide box office. The new film is being directed by Steven Caple Jr., from an original screenplay written by Stallone based on characters from the franchise.
Jordan is returning as Adonis Creed and Stallone as Rocky Balboa. Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris and Andre Ward are reprising their roles. The film is produced by Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Kevin King-Templeton and Stallone.
Castings
“Fences” star Russell Hornsby has joined Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone in MGM-Warner Bros.’ “Creed II,” which began shooting Monday in Philadelphia.
“Creed II” is the continuation of the Rocky franchise and the sequel to 2015’s “Creed,” which took in more than $170 million at the worldwide box office. The new film is being directed by Steven Caple Jr., from an original screenplay written by Stallone based on characters from the franchise.
Jordan is returning as Adonis Creed and Stallone as Rocky Balboa. Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Wood Harris and Andre Ward are reprising their roles. The film is produced by Irwin Winkler, Charles Winkler, William Chartoff, David Winkler, Kevin King-Templeton and Stallone.
- 4/3/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Let's just get it out of the way from the beginning: it'd be really hard to make a worse Cabin Fever (2002) sequel than Cabin Fever 2 (2009). Arguably the only weak movie in Ti West's filmography (and he's not a big fan of it himself), Cabin Fever 2 was the victim of endless studio tinkering, release delays, and really sloppy post-production decisions. The sequel has gone on to earn a small but vocal fanbase, however, and Eli Roth's original squirm-fest continues to bring in new horror geeks all the time. So surely there's some gas left in this franchise's tank, right?
Shockingly... yes! That's not to say that the slow-starting, frequently predictable Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero is some sort of miniature classic, but if you liked Part 1 and you struggled through Part 2, you'll certainly find a few meaty morsels of splatter-laden lunacy in Part 3. Plus it has some of those...
Shockingly... yes! That's not to say that the slow-starting, frequently predictable Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero is some sort of miniature classic, but if you liked Part 1 and you struggled through Part 2, you'll certainly find a few meaty morsels of splatter-laden lunacy in Part 3. Plus it has some of those...
- 2/28/2014
- by Scott Weinberg
- FEARnet
*full disclosure: a Blu-Ray screener of this film was provided by Magnolia Home Ent. Director/writer: Panos Cosmatos. Cast: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry and Rondel Reynoldson. It is often best to label a film experimental when it does not follow certain film patterns. Director Panos Cosmatos, son of George Cosmatos (Tombstone), seems almost uninterested in plot. Instead, Beyond the Black Rainbow focuses more on visual style and tone while trying to provide an interesting experience for viewers. This style will not be appreciated by the majority, but this hallucinogenic thriller held this watcher's attention all the way through. Cinematographer Norm Li's approach to the film harkens back to '70s sci-fi. This era saw the rise of science fiction and many of Norm Li's sets, costumes and backgrounds allude to or pay homage to this time period. The setting for the film is 1983 and the set pieces,...
- 9/18/2012
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Review by Travis Keune
This review originally was posted here at We Are Movie Geeks just after Beyond The Black Rainbow was screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas last September. Beyond The Black Rainbow will be playing tonight, July 6th and tomorrow night July 7th at The Hi-Pointe Theater (Located at 1005 McCausland Avenue) in St. Louis as part of Destroy The Brain’s monthly Late Nite Grindhouse. The pre-show starts at 11:30pm both nights and the film screens at midnight.
The number of films that can be legitimately classified as an experience are few. More than merely a movie, those that do surface from the traditional fray are usually unforgettable. Beyond The Black Rainbow is one of these experiences, having embedded itself deeply in my mind. One of the reasons I chose to wait a few days before writing this review is that the film is continues to be absorbed into my memory.
This review originally was posted here at We Are Movie Geeks just after Beyond The Black Rainbow was screened at Fantastic Fest in Austin Texas last September. Beyond The Black Rainbow will be playing tonight, July 6th and tomorrow night July 7th at The Hi-Pointe Theater (Located at 1005 McCausland Avenue) in St. Louis as part of Destroy The Brain’s monthly Late Nite Grindhouse. The pre-show starts at 11:30pm both nights and the film screens at midnight.
The number of films that can be legitimately classified as an experience are few. More than merely a movie, those that do surface from the traditional fray are usually unforgettable. Beyond The Black Rainbow is one of these experiences, having embedded itself deeply in my mind. One of the reasons I chose to wait a few days before writing this review is that the film is continues to be absorbed into my memory.
- 7/6/2012
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Beyond The Black Rainbow is a feast for the ears and the eyes. It is a science-fiction film that wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but at the same time it is quite unlike anything that you’ve likely seen before. The fact that this is a first-time feature from director Panos Cosmatos is nothing short of stunning. Veteran directors do not often create films with such a self-assured sense of style and control. Of course, it can be argued that a lot of directors eschew those trappings in order to appeal to the most broad audience possible, the lowest common denominator, if you will. Cosmatos doesn’t have that kind of aspiration. His is a singular vision. It may not be everyone’s fancy, but for those of you who enjoy challenging cinema, Beyond The Black Rainbow is full of rewards.
The film takes place in the year 1983 and...
The film takes place in the year 1983 and...
- 6/22/2012
- by Nick
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
With Beyond the Black Rainbow, first time writer-director Panos Cosmatos (son of Rambo: First Blood Part II director George P. Cosmatos) crafts the sublimest spectacle this side of where the pyramid meets the eye -- the eye of providence, that is -- taking us on a fully-immersive LSD freak-out as cinematographer Norm Li’s head trip in every scene visually assaults us with one gorgeously framed shot after another. Everything from the lens flares and colored gels to the hypnotic layer cake of images creates a hyper-stylized majesty that oozes with oh so sweet eye candy. The visuals work in perfect tandem with the lucid stream-of-consciousness of the narrative and the pulsing-pulsing electronic soundscape by Jeremy Schmidt (of Black Mountain) creating a masterfully oblique film.
- 6/22/2012
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
This is a story about control: Cosmatos’ Throwback a Challenging Piece of Psychedilia
Words cannot rightfully describe Beyond the Black Rainbow, the debut of filmmaker Panos Cosmatos (the son of George Cosmatos of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Tombstone fame), a film that’s obviously imbued and informed by several notable filmmakers yet never actually pays homage to any particular film. Rather, Cosmatos has created a nightmarish world that’s aggravating, hypnotic, and original. While he may not surpass David Lynch in the epitome of the art house mindfuck, he comes close with a film that’s more than a feeling—it’s a state of mind.
Crimson numerals inform us that it’s 1983 and infomercial footage of Mercurio Arboria (Scott Hylands) explains what his Arborian Institute has to offer, namely “a state of mind, a way of being,” with the methods he has developed to create a “happier you” with “serenity through technology.
Words cannot rightfully describe Beyond the Black Rainbow, the debut of filmmaker Panos Cosmatos (the son of George Cosmatos of Rambo: First Blood Part II and Tombstone fame), a film that’s obviously imbued and informed by several notable filmmakers yet never actually pays homage to any particular film. Rather, Cosmatos has created a nightmarish world that’s aggravating, hypnotic, and original. While he may not surpass David Lynch in the epitome of the art house mindfuck, he comes close with a film that’s more than a feeling—it’s a state of mind.
Crimson numerals inform us that it’s 1983 and infomercial footage of Mercurio Arboria (Scott Hylands) explains what his Arborian Institute has to offer, namely “a state of mind, a way of being,” with the methods he has developed to create a “happier you” with “serenity through technology.
- 5/17/2012
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
For celebrating 20 years the Philadelphia Film Festival came up with some pretty big-name films in 2011’s lineup. The Artist, Melancholia, A Dangerous Method, and Like Crazy, representing an assortment of fare from Cannes, Toronto and Sundance, all played to large crowds at one of the many venues around the greater Philadelphia area.
The best film at the festival was the underrated and ambiguous offering from Turkey’s Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Featuring a bold attempt at a new structure, strong performances, and a style that is both accessibly comic, frustratingly distant, and freshly apolitical, Ceylan’s follow-up to Three Monkeys isn’t a crowd pleaser, but it’s almost impossible to get out of the mind. The film covers so much territory, burrows into different genres and subplots, and features a surprising focal shift and morality twist at the end. Its view is less obviously...
The best film at the festival was the underrated and ambiguous offering from Turkey’s Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. Featuring a bold attempt at a new structure, strong performances, and a style that is both accessibly comic, frustratingly distant, and freshly apolitical, Ceylan’s follow-up to Three Monkeys isn’t a crowd pleaser, but it’s almost impossible to get out of the mind. The film covers so much territory, burrows into different genres and subplots, and features a surprising focal shift and morality twist at the end. Its view is less obviously...
- 11/7/2011
- by Neal Dhand
- SoundOnSight
If ever a film justified its inclusion in the Fantastic Fest lineup, it's Beyond the Black Rainbow, written and directed by Panos Cosmatos. The film is, in a word, fantastic, both as defined in the dictionary ("imaginative or fanciful; remote from reality") and as a cinematic experience that may best be considered a psychedelic head trip. Saying that may conjure up images of drug-using hippies sitting stoned at late-night screenings of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. There is most certainly an element of free association in the visual compositions pieced together by Cosmatos, cinematographer Norm Li, production designer Bob Bottieri, editor Nicholas Shephard, special effects coordinator Brant McIllroy, and the rest of the crew. Yet...
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- 10/3/2011
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
The number of films that can be legitimately classified as an experience are few. More than merely a movie, those that do surface from the traditional fray are usually unforgettable. Beyond The Black Rainbow is one of these experiences, having embedded itself deeply in my mind. One of the reasons I chose to wait a few days before writing this review is that the film is continues to be absorbed into my memory. This is a film that does require some time to digest. To fully appreciate the film, patience and an open mind are required. Suggesting the film needs time to be fully understood, however, is a flawed approach to its viewing, which is at least partially a subjective endeavor.
Beyond The Black Rainbow is written and directed by Panos Cosmatos, his first feature film that ultimately earned the filmmaker the “Boldness of Vision” award at Fantastic Fest 2011. There is good reason for this,...
Beyond The Black Rainbow is written and directed by Panos Cosmatos, his first feature film that ultimately earned the filmmaker the “Boldness of Vision” award at Fantastic Fest 2011. There is good reason for this,...
- 9/29/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Beyond The Black Rainbow
Directed by Panos Cosmatos
Screenplay Panos Cosmatos
Canada, 2011
Director Panos Cosmatos pays homage to sci-fi films of the 70′s and 80′s with his first feature Beyond The Black Rainbow, a melting pot rich in bold images and thick in retro atmosphere. While many claim Cosmatos exhibits a Kubrikian influence, Rainbow is best described as follows: a Richard Stanley piece on acid, with a dash of Thx 1138, echoes of Solaris, the iconography of Luis Buñuel and Kenneth Anger – the music of John Carpenter, the provocative visions of Dario Argento and David Cronenberg, and a narrative structure reminiscent of David Lynch and Ken Russell. Yet despite its cinematic influences, Cosmatos produces something that has a distinct character all its own. Describing what the film is about is a tough task, but it can be said that Black Rainbow explores notions of inter-dimensional time travel and control, both psychological and physical.
Directed by Panos Cosmatos
Screenplay Panos Cosmatos
Canada, 2011
Director Panos Cosmatos pays homage to sci-fi films of the 70′s and 80′s with his first feature Beyond The Black Rainbow, a melting pot rich in bold images and thick in retro atmosphere. While many claim Cosmatos exhibits a Kubrikian influence, Rainbow is best described as follows: a Richard Stanley piece on acid, with a dash of Thx 1138, echoes of Solaris, the iconography of Luis Buñuel and Kenneth Anger – the music of John Carpenter, the provocative visions of Dario Argento and David Cronenberg, and a narrative structure reminiscent of David Lynch and Ken Russell. Yet despite its cinematic influences, Cosmatos produces something that has a distinct character all its own. Describing what the film is about is a tough task, but it can be said that Black Rainbow explores notions of inter-dimensional time travel and control, both psychological and physical.
- 9/27/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Reviewed by Randee Dawn
(April 2011, screening at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival)
Directed/Written by: Panos Cosmatos
Starring: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry and Rondel Reynoldsen
Children of the 1980s grew up amid the progressively impersonal — freaky synth music (hello, Tangerine Dream), increasingly necessary computers and the distant if real threat of nuclear annihilation. Strange then, how most retro Reagan-era films focus on the decade’s rapacious greed, big hair and general fluffiness: This was a dystopic, not utopian, time in a lot of ways.
Director Panos Cosmatos has been thinking about this, and with “Beyond the Black Rainbow” he gets it right — that crushing sense of the future superseding the individual. Bridging the gap between Stanley Kubrick’s sterile, absurdist horror and the tweaked-out human transformation vision of “Altered States,” Cosmatos’ “sci-fi retro” film skillfully builds an almost unbearable tension thanks to a well-paced narrative, glowing fluorescent walls,...
(April 2011, screening at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival)
Directed/Written by: Panos Cosmatos
Starring: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry and Rondel Reynoldsen
Children of the 1980s grew up amid the progressively impersonal — freaky synth music (hello, Tangerine Dream), increasingly necessary computers and the distant if real threat of nuclear annihilation. Strange then, how most retro Reagan-era films focus on the decade’s rapacious greed, big hair and general fluffiness: This was a dystopic, not utopian, time in a lot of ways.
Director Panos Cosmatos has been thinking about this, and with “Beyond the Black Rainbow” he gets it right — that crushing sense of the future superseding the individual. Bridging the gap between Stanley Kubrick’s sterile, absurdist horror and the tweaked-out human transformation vision of “Altered States,” Cosmatos’ “sci-fi retro” film skillfully builds an almost unbearable tension thanks to a well-paced narrative, glowing fluorescent walls,...
- 4/17/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Reviewed by Randee Dawn
(April 2011, screening at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival)
Directed/Written by: Panos Cosmatos
Starring: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry and Rondel Reynoldsen
Children of the 1980s grew up amid the progressively impersonal — freaky synth music (hello, Tangerine Dream), increasingly necessary computers and the distant if real threat of nuclear annihilation. Strange then, how most retro Reagan-era films focus on the decade’s rapacious greed, big hair and general fluffiness: This was a dystopic, not utopian, time in a lot of ways.
Director Panos Cosmatos has been thinking about this, and with “Beyond the Black Rainbow” he gets it right — that crushing sense of the future superseding the individual. Bridging the gap between Stanley Kubrick’s sterile, absurdist horror and the tweaked-out human transformation vision of “Altered States,” Cosmatos’ “sci-fi retro” film skillfully builds an almost unbearable tension thanks to a well-paced narrative, glowing fluorescent walls,...
(April 2011, screening at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival)
Directed/Written by: Panos Cosmatos
Starring: Michael Rogers, Eva Allan, Scott Hylands, Marilyn Norry and Rondel Reynoldsen
Children of the 1980s grew up amid the progressively impersonal — freaky synth music (hello, Tangerine Dream), increasingly necessary computers and the distant if real threat of nuclear annihilation. Strange then, how most retro Reagan-era films focus on the decade’s rapacious greed, big hair and general fluffiness: This was a dystopic, not utopian, time in a lot of ways.
Director Panos Cosmatos has been thinking about this, and with “Beyond the Black Rainbow” he gets it right — that crushing sense of the future superseding the individual. Bridging the gap between Stanley Kubrick’s sterile, absurdist horror and the tweaked-out human transformation vision of “Altered States,” Cosmatos’ “sci-fi retro” film skillfully builds an almost unbearable tension thanks to a well-paced narrative, glowing fluorescent walls,...
- 4/17/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
*Here be spoilers.
Director: Kaare Andrews.
Writer: Paul A. Birkett.
This is graphic artist Kaare Andrew's first feature film and Altitude hardly gets off the ground. Anchor Bay is the main distributor behind this title and the DVD and Blu-Ray released Ocober 26th. The film puts five friends in a small, broken plane and the characters seem more irritable than most sixty year olds. The plane in the film is ever ascending, but the film seems to descend into character in-fighting, as if the film's story has lost a wing, until a semi-intriguing finale.
The plot involves a central destination for all the characters: a rock concert. The bully (Jake Weary), the charismatic pilot(Jessica Lowndes), the seat occupier (Julianna Guill), the quiet introvert (Landon Liboiron) and the freeclimber (Ryan Donowho) each have importance, but only a couple rise above horror film fodder. A mechanical problem and a giant flying...
Director: Kaare Andrews.
Writer: Paul A. Birkett.
This is graphic artist Kaare Andrew's first feature film and Altitude hardly gets off the ground. Anchor Bay is the main distributor behind this title and the DVD and Blu-Ray released Ocober 26th. The film puts five friends in a small, broken plane and the characters seem more irritable than most sixty year olds. The plane in the film is ever ascending, but the film seems to descend into character in-fighting, as if the film's story has lost a wing, until a semi-intriguing finale.
The plot involves a central destination for all the characters: a rock concert. The bully (Jake Weary), the charismatic pilot(Jessica Lowndes), the seat occupier (Julianna Guill), the quiet introvert (Landon Liboiron) and the freeclimber (Ryan Donowho) each have importance, but only a couple rise above horror film fodder. A mechanical problem and a giant flying...
- 11/14/2010
- by 28DaysLaterAnalysis@gmail.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Year: 2010
Directors: Paul A. Birkett
Writer: Paul A. Birkett
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Marina Antunes
Rating: 4 out of 10
I wish I could say that award winning director Kaare Andrews’ first full length feature is a winner of a movie. I should have looked beyond Andrews’ name because with a script from Paul A. Birkett, I may have been prepared for what I saw yesterday afternoon. Warning: lots of spoilers ahead though it won’t matter. This is the sort of film you may need to see for yourself to fully grasp the zaniness. Not to mention that between the poster and trailer, the secret is pretty much out of the bag.
Altitude opens beautifully, going from the close quarters of a small plane to the confines of a bathroom stall. It’s immediately clear that Andrews and cinematographer Norm Li (who also shot the excellent 2008 drama Sheltered Life...
Directors: Paul A. Birkett
Writer: Paul A. Birkett
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Marina Antunes
Rating: 4 out of 10
I wish I could say that award winning director Kaare Andrews’ first full length feature is a winner of a movie. I should have looked beyond Andrews’ name because with a script from Paul A. Birkett, I may have been prepared for what I saw yesterday afternoon. Warning: lots of spoilers ahead though it won’t matter. This is the sort of film you may need to see for yourself to fully grasp the zaniness. Not to mention that between the poster and trailer, the secret is pretty much out of the bag.
Altitude opens beautifully, going from the close quarters of a small plane to the confines of a bathroom stall. It’s immediately clear that Andrews and cinematographer Norm Li (who also shot the excellent 2008 drama Sheltered Life...
- 9/30/2010
- QuietEarth.us
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